To Trick a Trickster
by Fairyfinder
Summary: Loki is bored. He needs to find a way to get out of his cell and have some fun. Casey Elrod is trying to make a living tricking people and still hide her secret. Her magic tricks might just be enough to amuse - and confuse the Trickster King himself. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I'm too busy to update any of my ongoing stories (it takes too long to plan it out) but these short stories keep popping into my head and I've got to get them out. So for those of you who enjoyed Furry (if you haven't read it, go ahead to my page and find it) here is a completely unrelated story with the same humor (hopefully).**

**Disclaimer: I'd be a sorry Chitauri if I said I owned Avengers, so nope, I don't own it.**

Casey Elrod had set up her table of tricks on a corner in New York. She usually performed in children's theatre or at schools to make the money to pay her rent, but the schools were closed and the children's theatre had been squished by an enormous alien-whale-spaceship-thing. Casey supposed she really didn't _have_ to be performing to get rent money because, well, her apartment building had been blown to pieces by a not-so-enormous-but-equally-as-frightening-alien-grenade-thing. But a girl had to eat, even if have the city was smashed by Hulk, Chitauri, Asgardians, or the government. So she set up a little plastic table she found and pulled some cards out of her hoody's pocket. She shuffled them up and set out a hat for tips. Time to make some magic.

* * *

><p>Loki was bored. Being a cell in Asgard's basement loses its glamour after only a few hours. He knew he couldn't get out, but he was <em>bored<em>. What could he do? Read a book? No, he'd read all of the ones Frigga had sent him. Prank the guards? No, his magic would not reach outside of the cell. Was this how he was to spend the rest of his days? Locked in this cell of boredom? Given he still had around four thousand years to live it might be a little frustrating. He must think of something amusing to do. Anything. Before he went crazy! Well, crazi_er_.

The afternoon guard made his rounds past Loki's cell, not making eye contact, as usual. If only he could get the fool's attention. He used a little magic to make snakes appear in his cell and then gave a false yelp of surprise. The guard turned to see what was the matter. Success.

"Oi, what's going on in there?" The guard demanded, not seeing the snakes.

Loki stood up and backed away from his own illusion. "How did those get in here?!"

The guard spotted them and frowned. "You mean them slitherers? Don't play me, I know exactly _how_ they got there. Honestly, you played the same trick on me cousin Gromp at Thor's coronation. Turnin' wine to snakes now makin' 'em pop up in your cell? I expected more from you." He walked past the cell with a yawn.

Loki scowled and made the snakes disappear. He sat back down and rolled his eyes. Perhaps that had been a little unoriginal. What else could he do in here?

When the evening guard passed the ex-prince's cell he dropped the baked good he had been snacking on in shock.

"What the blazes?!"

Loki looked up from a conversation he was having… with himself. There were twelve Loki's inside the cell and they were all engaged in pleasant conversation. Chatting about the weather, baking recipes, recent books they'd read, and so forth and so on. All dozen were silent when the guard spoke up.

"Yes?" One of the Loki's smiled.

"How may we help you?" Another asked.

"I do hope nothing is the matter, sir?" One more grinned.

"You cut that out right now!" The guard ordered. This request was met with twelve more Loki's appearing in the room, "Stop it!"

"Make us!" They all yelled.

The guard jumped back. "Nah, you can't fool me. I'm not coming in there and you aren't coming out. All Father's orders."

The guard rounded the corner and vanished, as did Loki's doppelgangers and the smile on the trickster's face. This was going to be harder than he thought. Then suddenly, a plan hit him. Of course, the next guard wouldn't be along for several hours, but that time was nothing compared to how long he'd spend in a cell with nothing to do. But maybe he should hold off, after all this trick could only be kept up for so long and then he would have to come back. It would be the only time this rick would work and then he'd have to spend the rest of his days in the cell. Perhaps perform it at another time.

"No," He decided, "I am simply too bored now. Dash planning and timing, I shall have my fun tonight on Midgard and then be back in the morning in time for breakfast." The thought of not coming back at all crossed his mind, but he didn't want to evoke the wrath of Odin… at least, not yet.

* * *

><p>Casey had been entertaining people all day with her card tricks. Despite this, she still only had enough money to buy a candy bar. This was New York! Everything else cost a fortune in this city, why didn't people pay that much to see her perform? She sighed and started to flip the Ace of Hearts around on her fingers boredly. Her stomach had been growling for hours and she was thinking of heading to her campsite for the night when a rich looking gentleman headed her way.<p>

Straightening up, Casey began her trick of making the cards fly around her head. It really wasn't that hard, just some misdirection and other special tricks. The cards swirled around her head and she threw her arms out with a huge smile.

"Be dazzled by this show of magic! See regular playing cards perform like circus animals! Make a bet, play a game! I've got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve!" She bellowed.

* * *

><p>Loki was walking around Midgard to see what kind of damage he had caused in the previous weeks and he was pleased. The Midgardians were badly crippled by his attack. As he walked the streets he heard some noise. A young woman stood on the corner with her hands raised, shouting about something. The odd part was that she had pieces of paper flying around her head in a swirling storm. It was peculiar looking, but probably not worth his little time of freedom. He was intent on passing her by when he heard her mention tricks. He couldn't resist a bit of trickery and decided to see what she was up to.<p>

* * *

><p>Casey inwardly high fived herself. The gentleman had stopped in front of her table. He was an interesting fellow, with shoulder length black hair and burning blue eyes. He was dressed in a suit and trench coat as if he was off to some place important. Clearly his house and place of work were still intact.<p>

"Good evening, my good sir!" She smiled moving all of the cards from around her head into a neat pile in her hand, "Care to watch a little magic?"

The man chuckled. "There is no magic on Midg- earth."

"Well, maybe I stole some from those aliens. Or perhaps an Asgardian! You never know! Would you like to see a few tricks or not?" She hated to be rude, but if he was one of those types who only wanted to unravel the secrets of the tricks she wanted him gone. He might ward off other customers.

"Alright, show me some earthen magic." The man said with a roll of his eyes.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Earthen, huh? Who do you think you are, Thor?"

The man started laughing so hard he had to grip the table to remain standing. Casey didn't see what was so funny, but she forced a smile to make him think she agreed with him.

"No, no! Not Thor. I'm sorry, that is simply amusing to me."

"'Simply amusing' usually doesn't get such a big laugh," Casey mumbled, "Alright, let's do a few card tricks to get us started." She pulled three cards out of the deck for him to see, concealing a fourth in her hoody's sleeves. She turned the three cards face up and let him examine them. "See the lady card in the middle? You want to keep your eye on her. She tends to hide." She flipped them over, flipping over the lady last and switching her out for the card in her sleeve, "Follow the lady."

* * *

><p>Loki was amused by this human's card tricks. Thus far she had showed him three different ones, that all included her slipping one up her sleeve. He noticed, of course, but he wanted to see what else she could do or if anyone else in the small audience would notice. So far none had. Were humans really that daft?<p>

"Now time for something a little more interesting. I'm going to make these cards do some tricks by themselves. I'm not going to help them." The girl stated.

Loki watched as before his eyes all of the cards rose off their sides with no help from a human hand. The cards marched around the table in military formations. Then they all fell on their sides again. It seemed impossible. There were no strings to hold the cards and the girl had both of her hands in plain view, palm up on the table. Even the Trickster King could not figure out how a Midgardian was doing it. If she was of any of the other Nine Realms then she might have been graced with true magic, but she was clearly human.

When the cards began to fly through the crowd and circle around people it was too much. How was she doing it? He had to know.

"Oh my, I do believe they've become attached to you!" The girl sighed, looking to the cards, which were settling on people's shoulders and in their pockets. One landed on Loki's head, "Would you like to take my little cards home?" Everyone in the audience gave positive replies that they would indeed like to keep the magic cards, "And would the cards like to go home with you?" Much to the audience's surprise the cards began to nod vigorously by bending their top parts up and down, "Then it's settled. Everyone can take a card home. Have a good night everyone!" She then looked away from her audience to signal that she was done.

Loki felt the card on his head jump up and down with excitement. Were the cards alive? Was this trick performed by the cards and not the magician? But what kind of creature looked like this? Some odd Midgardian beast that was absent from Asgard, no doubt.

As the rest of the crowd dispersed Loki stayed. The girl was busy digging through the cap on her table to count her earnings. When she had finished she pulled out a new deck of cards. It was exactly the same as the other deck, except the backs were purple instead of red. Could you buy the creatures anywhere then? Did he have time to find a store and purchase a pack himself? They would make amusing companions in his cell. No, his time was nearly up and he didn't have time to hunt some down. This girl would surely sell some to him.

* * *

><p>Casey pocketed the money she had made, which was enough to buy a loaf of bread or two from the store, and maybe a bottle of water. It had been a good day. She'd really made a lot this evening. Too bad the morning had been so slow. She opened a new pack of cards and examined them. Simple cards she'd gotten at a thrift store. Nothing more, nothing less. She should really stop giving out all of her props, which forced her to buy more, but the crowd loved it and they always gave generous tips.<p>

When she looked up she saw that the gentleman was still watching her. He was focused on the pack of cards. She smiled at him and shoved the pack in her pocket.

"Sorry pal, the show's over. Anything else I can help you with?"

He shook his head as if to clear his mind. "Hmm? Oh, my apologies. I did not mean to loiter. I was simply curious as to where you purchased those creatures."

"Creatures?" Her brow furrowed, "What creatures?"

"The cards, I mean. If they are not living beings then how do they dance?"

Casey sighed and wiggled her fingers. "Magic."

"So is it true then? Did you steal magic from the Chitauri? Or an Asgardian?"

She blinked. This guy was sure gullible. "Uh, sure. If it makes you happy to think that." She winked and folded up her table, which was also currently serving as a shelter for her.

"Please, tell me how you did it." He implored.

"Sorry buddy, a magician never reveals her secret and all that. If I tell you, whose to say if you'll go and tell someone else? Then I'd be ruined cause word would get around how it's done." She tried to make it sound like that was all she was worried about. Not the fact that if he found out the government might find out and hunt her down…

He looked at her with a hint of anger in his eyes and she nodded to him and began walking down the street as quickly as she could with the awkward table. Much to her surprise, when she rounded the corner he was standing right there.

"Aaah! Oh, it's you." She was nervous now. Why was he following her? What if he did something that set off an… incident? Sure it wouldn't be as bad as the Hulk, but it could get ugly, "Can I ask why you are following me?"

"Let me carry your table for you. I really must learn your secret. And I promise I won't tell anyone because I'm headed back to a place that is very far away from here. I won't be able to tell anyone there either." He took the table out of her hands and she started walking again with him by her side.

"I just… if I tell you I could get into trouble. Or you could get into trouble for knowing. You don't want to get into trouble on my account, do you?"

He laughed. "Given I am already in quite a bit of trouble I don't think the secret of one human could make it much worse."

"One human? What, are you not human? You some kind of alien?" She asked suspiciously, putting a little distance between the two of them.

* * *

><p>Loki cursed himself. He had given it away too easily. If this girl told the authorities then word would get out that he was not in his cell and the humans might do something to alert Thor and what a heaping mess that would be! All because he wanted to relieve his boredom. He had to get this girl on his side.<p>

"Well…"

She stopped and backed away from him. "What?! What do you mean by 'well...'?"

"I am of Asgard." Telling her he was the one who destroyed the city would not keep her calm so he decided to avoid that little tidbit, "But I'm not here for any spectacular reason. Just a bit of fun."

She looked panicked. Then she took a deep breath. "Calm down, calm down. He's not one of the bad ones, he's just here for some fun. Like he's visiting Vegas for the weekend." She told herself. This confused Loki a great deal but he decided against commenting, "So, you're an alien, but not one of the ones who destroyed the city. One of the ones like Thor, right?"

He smiled, trying not to laugh at the irony. "Correct. I just want to learn your magic trick and be on my way. I won't tell anyone, on my honor."

"How much is Asgardian honor worth?" She asked.

"Oh, an Asgardian's honor is worth quite a lot." He continued the sentence in his head: _A frost giant's is not, however._

She regarded him skeptically and finally nodded. "Fine, but you better not be messing with me. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"Happen to _me_? Which one of us is from Asgard?"

"You make it sound like being from there makes you invincible. I know it doesn't, there were reports of seeing Thor getting beaten up and stuff by his brother," She frowned, "Besides, if you were messing with me then you probably wouldn't be an Asgardian and you'd be incredibly vulnerable."

"I am from Asgard and you are wasting my precious time, so tell me already." Loki demanded, stepping closer.

"Fine, fine!" She put her hands up in defeat, "The truth is…" She paused dramatically, "The cards _are_ magical. They do all the work and I get all of the credit."

Loki's eyes widened. "Truthfully?"

She grinned. "Absolutely, on my honor."

"And how much is a Midgardian's honor worth?"

She stepped closer to him and reached her hand into his pocket. She found a single gold coin and darted off, letting the deck of cards fall out of her pocket. She yelled back at him. "A Midgardian's honor ain't worth much!" And then she was gone.

Loki frowned and rolled his eyes. A common thief. She had no magic, she was but a petty criminal! It angered him that he'd allowed himself to be tricked by a human, but it was only a coin. A single coin that he had been planning on using to buy the cards with. Since the cards were now on the ground and free for the taking, he didn't much need it. He scooped up the cards and looked at the sky. It was quite dark, but it would take a while to get back to his cell. He just hoped that the guards were still confused by his little game. Yes, it was time to be leaving Midgard, but perhaps he'd come back some day.

* * *

><p>Casey couldn't believe her good luck. A <em>gold<em> coin. This could set her up for months! And all it had cost her was a few cards. She still had half the pack in her pocket anyway. And the strange man hadn't even learned her true secret! This day was really looking up.

The next morning she walked into a shop that bought gold and placed the coin on the counter. A man rushed over and examined it, muttering about the fine quality and beauty of it. Casey stood there proudly and saw the man use a calculator to estimate a good price. There were a lot of zeroes. Then the gold buyer picked up the coin and suddenly, it was a quarter. An average, American quarter. The gold buyer raised an eyebrow and angrily put to coin down.

"No jokes ma'am, please leave."

Casey was in disbelief as she left the shop. The Asgardian tricked her. Apparently his honor was worth as much as hers. Zilch. A fake coin! At least she still had her earnings from last night. She walked to her corner to start another days work of trickery. So much for being set up for months.

* * *

><p>Loki sat in his cell. He had gotten back without too much trouble. Luckily the guards were as dull as they looked and hadn't even considered telling the All Father of his late night disappearance. They were probably too scared. The poor fools didn't know that Odin would find out eventually, and when he did they'd lose their jobs.<p>

As he sat in his cell Loki played with the cards he's acquired during his little outing. As hard as he tried he could not get them to move like the girl had. They would not cooperate.

"Blast these cards!" He exclaimed, pushing them away from him with magic. That was the only way he could get them to do anything, with his own magic. It seemed the girl had been correct. Midgardian honor was worth nothing. The cards were simple paper. But then how had she done her trick? He supposed it would remain a mystery to him. A human had tricked the Trickster.

**A/N: Oh gosh, this thing is huge! Sorry, it was supposed to be short and sweet (well, not sweet…), but clearly that didn't happen. Just so you know, Casey Elrod is my OC that may appear in stories of all kinds. She's really an easter egg to me, and you might get it if you read my upcoming Fictionpress story: Monster. It'll be a long time until that one is done though.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So… Originally I wasn't going to add another chapter to this, but I got to thinking and I kind of wanted Loki and Casey to have another meeting. This is pretty much just for my own entertainment so facts might be butchered and plots might go crazy, but whatever dude. Anyway, I hope you like it if you bother to read it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers franchise, movie, or characters. I do own Casey Elrod.**

**Notice: While the first chapter took place directly after **_**The Avengers**_ **this chapter and any future chapters take place sometime after **_**Thor The Dark World.**_

Loki Laufeyson, disguised as Odin the All Father, sat on the throne of Asgard - a place he had always wanted to be. It was actually rather uncomfortable, but who ever said that thrones were to be pleasurable to sit in? A king was meant to be powerful not comfortable. Loki rolled his eyes and then looked over the throne room happily. He and Odin were the only one's who knew what he had done since his idiot adopted brother Thor believed him dead.

Loki the Jotun had died a hero in the eyes of all the Asgardians and even some of the Midgardians. The truth was that magic and sorcery had made it appear he'd been impaled by a dark elf and then died. Loki had escaped quite easily and managed to get on the throne. Now he could go about as he pleased - no longer confined by his cell.

He rose off of the throne and dismissed some of the guards, walking down a dark hallway and changing his appearance to that of a servant. Loki wanted to retrieve something he'd left in his prison cell months before and hadn't had the opportunity to get until now. Pretending to be the king of Asgard was a job that kept his every moment filled, until now. Thor had come to visit Asgard for a while and this gave "Odin" a chance to have some rest - or pay a visit to Midgard and discover the secret to a magic trick he'd never conquered.

* * *

><p>Earth was not always a good place to be. The little blue planet had dealt with strange things before, but in recent years it seemed everyone wanted to take a turn destroying them. Chitauri, Dark Elves, The Destroyer, and even a Jotun who had been raised as an Asgardian. The people of earth had not even believed in such things before they began attacking.<p>

Casey Elrod wished that her home planet wasn't so popular among bloodthirsty aliens because it usually made life difficult. In fact, she'd been homeless ever since the Chitauri invasion and that had been ages ago. At that moment she was living under a bridge in Central Park and envisioning hot chocolate and a warm fire. A cold blast of reality hit her as the wind blew away the ratty blanket she'd been using for warmth. She snatched at it - lunging to get it - but it blew off and into the pond.

"Oh that's just fantastic!" She muttered, standing up and walking over to the pond to see if she could try and fish it out. Casey located the thin blanket just as it sunk beneath the surface and out of sight. She groaned and shivered. Now she would have to use some of her performance money to buy a new blanket. So much for supper.

Casey pulled her hoodie's hood up and rubbed her arms to try and regain feeling in them. Trudging back to her little campsite, she kicked a pebble angrily and muttered to herself. In her old life such things would have never happened. Her mother would have made sure she was always warm and her father would have told her that everything would be alright. Even when she was sick they had stood by her side and comforted her, but one college lab experiment gone wrong and she was out on the streets and not wanted by her parents. Casey rubbed her eyes at the memory, willing her tears to stay back. She got to her little camp and surveyed her belongings. A few dirty clothes, a worn cap, three packs of cards, an empty plastic water bottle, and a small plastic table set up on its side to keep the wind out.

Stuffing everything in her beat up backpack (except the table), Casey thought about possible places she could set up for to perform her magic tricks. She considered trekking down to eighty-first street but in the cold weather she didn't think she could make it that far. Columbus Avenue seemed like a good place, but there was Whole Foods place that kept telling her to get lost. Perhaps staying in the Park would be the best course of action. She could set up at a tourist attraction and then rake in some cash.

With her destination decided, Casey folded up her plastic table and dragged it along. Her stomach grumbled a little, probably protesting the lack of breakfast, but she kept walking. Once in a particularly scenic spot, she unfolded the table and opened a pack of playing cards. Time to get to work.

* * *

><p>Loki had retrieved his human playing cards without a hitch and then transported to Midgard. He was currently wandering the streets of New York City dressed as a business man. He had enchanted the playing cards earlier and now they would take him to their previous owner, wherever she was.<p>

As he strolled along he glanced ahead and his eyes narrowed. Just ahead of him was none other that Tony Stark. Despite the fact that the human billionaire was wearing a hood in a feeble attempt to hide from paparazzi Loki still recognized him. The king of mischief also remembered that Stark thought him dead.

Just as Stark looked up in Loki's direction, the Jotun had vanished and an adolescent Midgardian boy had taken his place. Loki tried not to make eye contact, but he couldn't help it. Tony Stark didn't seem to care that they had made eye contact, but Loki smiled gently. When he was close enough he stuck out his foot and tripped the billionaire, then he switched disguises and blended back into the crowd. Stark just looked angry and slightly confused.

The cards tugged Loki along the path and into the park. He strolled down the sidewalk, carefully checking the face of every person. The face he was looking for could not be found. So, Loki continued walking, checking the cards in his hand every few minutes. Just as he was close to giving up this foolish pursuit he heard someone yelling.

"Be dazzled by this show of magic! Make a bet, play a game! I've got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve!" A young woman called. It was her - the girl who had attempted to steal his money and dropped the pack of cards. He approached, changing his appearance once more so that she wouldn't recognize him.

"I'd like to place a bet," He called, stepping a little closer and placing a wad of human money on the table. His blue eyes flicked up to her and widened a little. The Midgardian girl looked terrible. Her clothes were dirty and ripped, her brown hair a tangled mess underneath her torn hood, her hands were dry and cracked - the left one bleeding a little, and she looked tired. He briefly wondered what had happened to her since he'd seen her last, but pushed any concern away and focused on the three cards on the table.

She forced a smile and looked up at him. "Oh? What would you like to bet on?"

"That I can find the card after you mix them up." He snorted as if it was obvious.

"Of course!" She raised her hands and looked around her small audience, "Who thinks he can do it? I'd wager this smart looking fellow can find the lady card on the first try, anyone else want to put a bet to that?"

A few people placed small paper bills on the table and made bets on whether or not Loki could find the card on the first try. The performer laid down a bill with the number twenty marked on it. She gestured to his own money.

"You can keep that this round because most of us are betting that you'll win. Next round we shall see."

He pocketed his money and watched as she shuffled the cards around slightly. It was child's play to guess which card it was and she hadn't even swapped out the card for one in her sleeve. He pointed to the one he knew the lady card to be and she flipped it over to confirm his beliefs.

"Well done my friend! That was easy, right?"

"Indeed."

"I bet you can't get it the next time, I'll gamble my twenty dollar bill on it."

"I'll bet I can locate the red lady card with this," He laid down a huge wad of human money and smirked as her eyes lit up, "Fair enough?"

"Yessir, that sounds good to me!" She looked him in the eye and seemed to recognize him, but shook it off, "Let's get started."

She began switching the cards around so fast that it would be impossible to tell where it went and a few people in the audience laughed, believing he was about to lose his money. Loki saw her slip the particular card he was looking for up her sleeve and replace it with another.

Finally the cards on the table stopped moving and she looked at him expectantly. "Okie dokey! Which one is the lady card?"

"The card I'm looking for is not on the table," He announced, grabbing her arm and slamming it on the table.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing!" She protested, wiggling under his strong grip.

"The lady card is up her sleeve," He pulled it out and the crowd laughed, "So, I found it, pay up."


	3. Chapter 3

Casey's eyes widened in horror. This was not good. Her arm was pinned to the table and she had just lost her twenty dollar bill in a fool's gamble. She glared at the man and tried to get out of his strong grip, but couldn't manage it. He was stronger than he looked… and slightly familiar in appearance.

"It was all in good fun! Take your money!" She growled, starting to feel rather sick to her stomach. If her instincts started to kick in then she might have a problem. The government would be there faster than she could say "Old MacDonald".

"The show is over folks, this lovely young lady and I have something we need to discuss." The man commanded.

No one really moved but then some unseen force pushed the people back a few feet and they scattered. Casey was all alone with this guy and she felt an episode coming on. The man smiled at her and let her arm go, his face suddenly changing. She was terrified when she saw his true face… the Asgardian!

* * *

><p>Loki was pleased to see the fear in the girl's eyes when he changed to his true face. He was still dressed like a Midgardian, but clearly she knew who he was.<p>

"Hello there, long time no see!" He purred, "I don't believe I caught your name the first time we met."

She didn't seem to be paying attention to him anymore as she was focused on taking deep breaths with her eyes closed. He frowned.

"Your name, human, what is it?!"

She opened her eyes and released a breath. "Casey," She glared at him, "But don't worry about introducing yourself. I've done some research since we've last met. You're that guy, Thor's, evil brother!"

He gave a little bow. "Loki Laufeyson at your service, Casey."

"What do you want? The man - or alien - who tried to take over the earth should be too busy to come get revenge on a human girl who stole one coin from him. A fake coin at that." Casey hissed.

"You're right, but there has been one thing that has bothered me since we met last. I want to know how a mere mortal like yourself can get these to work." He took the cards out of his pocket and used his magic to make them float around.

"Why would I tell you? You're the bad guy, right?"

"It depends on your point of view," He smirked, "As for why you should tell me… you're obviously very poor and I happen to have a little Midgardian money with me."

* * *

><p>Casey raised her eyebrows. He was offering her money to learn how she made the cards perform? Considering she had just gambled all of her food and blanket money away to him that didn't sound like too bad of a deal. She began cleaning up her table and other things and smiled slightly.<p>

"Alright, I'm listening."

"I thought as much," He handed back her twenty dollar bill and looked around a little, "Is there someplace private we could talk? I do not trust these Midgardians."

Casey snorted a little and pulled her sweatshirt closer. "Yeah, me neither. We can head to my campsite." She folded the table and began walking with the Asgardian close on her tail.

"Your campsite?" He asked.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not the cleanest person in the world and that is because I do not have a home at the moment. Thanks to the Chitauri invasion a while back I am homeless and jobless," She said bitterly and then remembered who she was talking to, "Uh… Not that I didn't totally enjoy your attempt at taking over the world."

He chuckled a little and she winced. "Oh? So you did enjoy it then?"

"As long as you don't smite me down where I'm standing I enjoyed it." She told him, lengthening her stride to put some distance in between them.

"Casey, I understand that you humans are not pleased with the destruction I've caused and I won't 'smite you down'." Loki called from behind her.

"I'm not taking any chances on that," She called back. Casey shook her head as she walked speedily ahead of him. Why was she talking to the guy who had tried to take over the world? Why was he talking to her? There was something very wrong about this whole situation. "Oh gosh, what am I getting myself into?" She muttered.

"It is true that this particular venture seems a bit… risky from your view, but think of the money, Casey." Suddenly Loki was right in front of her.

Casey emitted a small scream and tripped over her own feet. Once she had landed she was at his feet and her hands were freshly scraped with bits of gravel stuck in them.

He looked down at her in amusement. "As I've suspected all along, you Midgardians just can't help but bow to me, eh?"

Casey took a few more deep breaths, trying to quell the inner beast, and then pushed herself off of the ground. "Yeah, sure whatever."

"How old are you?" He asked suddenly.

"Why do you care?"

"I was just noticing that you act very much like a child when you're displeased."

"Oh just shut up," She grumbled, starting to walk again, "I'd say taking over an entire world to spite your sibling is pretty childish too," Casey gasped and looked at him warily, "Erm, I mean it had childlike creativity and was… inspired?" She kept forgetting who she was talking to, a mistake she feared would cause unpleasant results.

* * *

><p>Loki snickered at her hasty attempt to cover up her disrespecting tone. Before he might have been upset, but after some time spent in the Asgardian prison he had come to realise how childish his actions really were.<p>

"So, your age, Casey?"

She rolled her eyes as she tried to get ahead of him again. "I really don't think it's any of your business, but since you asked so nicely I'll tell you that I'm twenty years old, twenty-one next month."

"A child," Loki noted, "Living on the streets with no family?"

She stiffened when he mentioned family. "Yeah, so what?"

"Oh nothing, I was just trying to make conversation."

"Well stop. I don't particularly feel like being friendly with the guy who caused me to lose everything." She growled, starting to run ahead of him. He caught up easily.

"Was your family killed in the Chitauri invasion?" Loki felt the slightest hint of guilt, but he shook it off.

"No, they aren't dead and they don't live in NYC, they gave me up five years ago because…" She took a deep breath and glared at him, "I thought we weren't talking about this."

Loki was silent for a moment and then noticed that there was an odd sound coming from the girl beside him. It sounded as if Casey hadn't eaten in a while as her stomach was growling.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm homeless, what do you think?" She snapped - obviously not caring who she was talking to anymore.

"I hope you use some of this money to buy yourself food then."

"Maybe. I've got a few more necessities that come before food though."

He looked at her incredulously. "More important than preventing starvation? What in the nine realms could that be?"

"I don't know," She said with a sarcastic tone, "Maybe a blanket because it's freezing cold out? Or some matches to start a fire," Her eyes took a dark shade and she started shouting at him, "Or perhaps put it into making sure they can't find me!"

He regarded her curiously. "Who?"

Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath and cast her eyes down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout like that. It's not your problem." Before he could pry further she pointed to a bridge, "Under there, that's where I'm camping."

"Then let's get started, tell me how you make the cards work." He ordered. Loki's mind was thinking over everything she had said. Who was she trying to hide from? The last time they'd met hadn't she mentioned something about getting in trouble with the government? Perhaps the authorities were after her because she was a criminal. After all, he knew she could not be trusted, perhaps she had caused some sort of dilemma for the Midgardians. But really, who was he to judge about distasteful activities?

Casey put the cards down on the ground after throwing her plastic table to the side and closed her eyes in concentration. "It will take me a minute, I haven't done this for a while." She growled slightly and the cards spread out by themselves.

"How did you do that?" Loki asked, "And can you do anything else?"

"Yes, I can do more, I'm just not willing to risk it for your sake. Somebody could see or something could go wrong - then we'd both be in trouble." She warned, bending down to collect the cards.

"I'm paying you to inform me how you make it work. As curious as I may be, you need not keep vaguely hinting at trouble. It can be rather irritating." Loki said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous," She held the cards out to him, "I can make them move by projecting energy. There aren't any other humans who can do it that I know of, so don't bother looking," Casey stared at the cards and they fluttered around like butterflies, "I can do a few things that normal humans can't, like use energy to lift light objects such as cards."

"What is the reason you can do this?"

She looked down timidly but the cards continued to swirl around the two of them. Casey seemed intent on not answering him. While this mission was purely for personal interest, it had been a long trip to try and find her and Loki would not give up now.

"Casey, tell me or you will not receive your payment," He threatened, "And I would have come all this way for nothing."

* * *

><p>Should she tell him? Did she really need the money that much? The answer to the question was obvious, but Casey wasn't sure she wanted this dangerous alien to know her secret. She knew <em>he<em> wouldn't tell the government about her, but he might take advantage of her secret and use it against her. She already knew he was _not_ one of the good guys - he'd attacked earth with an army of deadly aliens - but did that mean he couldn't be trusted at all?

"What will you do when I do tell you?" She asked.

"Nothing, I'm simply curious."

"That's a lie. People like you don't do anything 'simply'."

"I told you before, I have been bothered that I cannot figure out how your illusion works. I had some free time and I decided to come ask you since it has been nagging at me since our last meeting."

"Alright, fine," She grunted, "I don't particularly trust you…"

"A wise decision on your part, truly." Loki commented.

"But, I'm going to tell you anyway because I know that I'll get money out of this. If you trick me again then I swear I'll…"

"Yes, yes, hunt me down and do something gruesome, get on with you little secret. I find this little show of dramatics to be irritating."

Casey rolled her eyes and tried not to mention that he was the one who had made a "dramatic" debut in Germany by forcing people to kneel to him. She'd heard about it on the news the day before her apartment was obliterated.

"Have you ever heard of the Hulk?"

"Yes, we met briefly." Loki said through grit teeth.

"Oh," She giggled slightly, "Poor you."

"Indeed, but please continue."

"I don't know much about him, but I do know that he isn't always that big green beast. The green guy is his alter ego, right?"

"Do you mean that as a close friend or as another self? I would assume the latter."

"Yes, the Hulk is the human's other self. He has two personalities. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

"Who?"

"Oh, sorry. Some Midgardian literature. A doctor who sometimes turned into a completely different person," She explained, starting to feel sick to her stomach.

"What does this have to do with your ability to levitate the cards?"

"Well, I few years back I was attending a highly esteemed college and taking a science class that was taught by a brilliant professor. This doctor, she hired me to be her test subject for an experience…" Casey closed her eyes and relived some violent memories. She took a deep breath and glanced at the Asgardian before her, "Long story short, something went wrong and now I have a dangerous alter ego. She - my other self - has a few dangerous powers, but I'm not sure how they work. Anyway, I don't have the same powers, but as kind of an after-effect I can do my little card tricks."

**A/N: Sorry if that's confusing at all. It's kind of hard to take an OC that I've been developing for a while and then insert her into a story like this. Anyway, if you have any questions and they don't get answered soon you can ask in the review or PM me. Thank you for the review DragonGirl223! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Loki tried to grasp exactly what she was saying and when he began to have an understanding he regarded her curiously. She had warned him the first time they'd met that he would be in trouble if he was fooling her. She had been talking about her alter ego. Her other self.

"I would wager you have no control over your other personality?"

"That's right. Most of the time I have no idea what she does," The girl before him sighed and shuffled the cards, "But the government tells me that she is not someone to be trifled with, which has caused a lot of problems for me."

Loki smirked. This other version of Casey sounded like someone he'd like to meet at some point - perhaps there was still time during this little trip. He gently took the playing cards out of her hand and looked her in the eye.

"Any idea what brings forth this… alter ego?" He asked casually.

Casey's gaze became icy and she laughed harshly. "Course I do, but I'm not going to tell you. I've told you everything else you want to know, so why don't you give me my money and then be on your merry little way back to wherever you came from?"

"I'm afraid I'm the one who will be deciding when our deal has been finalized. Until that time, you'll get nothing." Loki said with a smile, amused at seeing her horrified expression.

"But, you said you'd pay me for telling you how I do the card trick! You never said anything about spilling all my secrets! If this kind of information gets out then I'll never get any peace. You already know too much. I'm not telling you anything else." The girl before him declared, balling her fists defiantly and then taking a small step backward.

He laughed and crossed his arms. "Why must Midgardians be so stubborn? Everything you do is an argument waiting to happen," He stepped closer, "Do you want your money or not? I will only give it to you when I'm satisfied with the information given."

"I don't want it anymore. It's probably just going to disappear after you leave." She took a few more steps back and picked up her backpack off of the ground.

Loki's eyes narrowed, she was preparing to run - regardless of anything he offered her. As insignificant as this little adventure was to him, he still felt angry at this thought. "Casey, it is real money that will not vanish after I do. On my honor."

She gave him a small smile. "We've already established that your honor isn't worth much, Mr. Laufeyson." She took another step backwards, never taking her eyes off of him.

"That is, admittedly, true," He shrugged, "Then I swear on my brother's life."

"No good," She snorted, "Everyone knows you tried to kill him during the invasion."

Loki smirked slightly. "Also true, so… I swear on the life of my mother." He felt a pang in his heart. Casey didn't know that his mother's life had ended.

"Be that as it may, I still don't want your money if it means telling you all of my secrets."

"This is ridiculous, you clearly need it to buy food and means of warmth," He took a step closer to her, but she just backed away, "I won't tell your secrets to anyone."

"No," Casey put her hands up defensively, "No, I don't want it, just leave me alone."

Loki stepped even closer so that she had to look up to make eye contact. Her eyes were filled with fear, but not of him - of her other self. He wondered just how dangerous this alter ego was and what it would take to meet her.

* * *

><p>Casey became extremely nervous when the Asgardian stepped so close to her that a mere six inches was between them. She searched his bright blue eyes and only saw determination. There was no mercy, compassion, or understanding.<p>

She took adjusted her backpack on her shoulder and then took a step back. Her foot caught on a rock and she found herself falling and then her back was all wet. She had landed in the pond and now she was soaking wet as well as freezing cold.

Loki made a move to help her up, but she pushed his hand away as she sat up. He obviously didn't know how to take a hint and grabbed her wrist and yanked her to her feet. Casey's forearm was still in his firm grasp and he pulled her closer in an intimidating way. She held her breath subconsciously and avoided looking at him.

"You _will _tell me, for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity and then you shall have your payment," He looked over her, "And, by Odin's beard, do purchase some food and dry clothing."

Casey took a calming breath to quell the beast within her and then looked him in the eye confidently. "Fine, but it is on your head if she comes out and hurts someone."

"I take full responsibility." He said, smiling in such a way that made Casey wish the monster would come out wipe the expression off of his face.

"What did you want to know?" She said, tearing her arm from his grip.

"When does your other self come forth? What brings her out of hiding?"

"Lots of things, but the one that is hardest to prevent is fear. When I get too scared my survivalist instincts kick in and… _kapow_! Sometimes it wears off right when she is in the middle of doing something, and sometimes it doesn't wear off until much later," Casey snorted, "Once I woke up with a government agent's gun pointed at my head."

"So becoming afraid will do what? Turn you into a green giant?"

Casey smiled slightly, suddenly aware that her situation could be much worse. She could be like the poor soul burdened with the Hulk. "Well, I'm not exactly… around... when the alter ego comes out, but from what I've heard she looks just like me, but has a totally different personality."

"Interesting. Do you have any idea what sort of power she has?"

"I'm told she is strong, fast, and mean as a hornet." Casey still remembered the look of fear on that government agent's face.

Loki seemed to consider this information for a moment and then raised an eyebrow. "You say there are other things that trigger your transformation? What?"

"Porcelain," Casey answered without hesitation. It had been the first thing to set her off, "But only if I touch it with my hands," The thing she didn't tell him was that she almost had that little issue under control, "Occasionally classical music and even less frequently, the smell of pizza." Both of those were nearly taken care of as well.

"It would seem you have many things to avoid, Casey," Loki commented, "I do not envy you."

"Yeah," She shrugged, "But I've learned to live with it. Keeping my fear under control is the hardest, but the key is taking deep breaths."

"So you wouldn't turn into your other self if I jumped out at you?"

"When you just appeared in front of me while we were walking here I thought for sure I'd lose it and you'd be a goner, but I managed to keep it in check. Which is lucky, for your sake."

"Truly," He grunted, "So… surprising you is not the best thing I could do."

"No, that is probably not a good idea." Casey chuckled. Her stomach grumbled suddenly and she glanced at him in embarrassment.

He regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps this conversation would be best continued over a bit of luncheon?"

"That'd be nice, but I don't have any money."

"Allow me to pay for a meal as a bonus."

"Sounds good to me!"

* * *

><p>Tony Stark had been enjoying a carefree day in New York until that random person off the street had tripped him. He'd fallen and scraped his knee. Since that moment Tony had been hiding out in the Shawarma Palace. He was on his fifth helping of the delicious meat when the bell above the door jingled and two people entered the little shop. A young woman followed by a tall man with dark hair. In Tony's Shawarma filled state he was feeling to sick to his stomach to recognize this person as anyone but a familiar face. It wasn't that the Shawarma had alcohol in it - the billionaire had simply eaten five helpings of it and it made him a little loopy.<p>

"Hey! I know you!" He called to the man with the black hair. The man looked Tony's way and his face suddenly looked different and slightly fearful, "You don't happen to work for me, do you? If so, I will give you a raise if you don't tell Pepper I'm here. You see, she thinks that I should stop eating junk food, but this shawarma, I'm telling you… it's incredible."

"I'm sorry, I believe you have the wrong person." The man with black hair informed him.

"Oh, my bad. I just thought you looked familiar," Tony muttered in his addled state, "Waitress, could I pleased get a Shawarma Basket to go?"

* * *

><p>Loki breathed a sigh of relief when Stark didn't seem to be able to put a name to his face. The Midgardian idiot probably wouldn't even recall their encounter later. A good thing too, Loki did not want word getting out that he was alive. It would have been disastrous.<p>

"Casey, what would you like to eat? And do you have any suggestions on what I should eat as I am uncertain of the contents of this food?"

"Like I know what it is! I've never eaten here before. Let's just get what that guy is getting, Shawarma Baskets." Casey shrugged.

They ordered their food and Loki payed for it with some human money he had stolen earlier on his trip. He carried the greasy food over to a small table and set it down. Before he was even seated his companion had begun devouring her meal with the ravenous appetite of a Bilgesnipe. The look on her face was one of pure content and he wondered how long it had been since she had eaten a proper meal.

Loki peered into the basket before him and picked at the wrap of meat and vegetables. It smelled good so he placed it in his mouth. It was, as Stark had stated, incredible.

The two ate in silence for a while, neither willing to give up eating the food for conversation until Casey wiped her mouth with her sleeve and looked up at him timidly.

"You know, for a guy who attempted to take over my home planet, you're a pretty decent fellow," She said, "Thank you for the meal."

"You are welcome. Thank _you_ for appeasing my curiosity."

"Yeah, sure," She mumbled, taking another bite of her food, "Just don't go getting any ideas about us being friends. I'm in enough trouble with the government as is. I don't need to be hunted down because you and I are buddies."

"My dear Casey, I would never expect us to be friends. I don't have any friends."

"Good." She grunted. The girl went back to her food, but looked up a moment later, "That is, it's not 'good' that you don't have any friends… I meant 'good' because you and I aren't friends. Wait, you seriously have _no_ friends? That's sad."

"Yes, I understood your meaning. You are hungry, please return to your meal." Loki ordered, nibbling at his own food. He wasn't bothered by the fact that he had no friends, just as he was not bothered by the fact that he had no family. Still… it would have been nice to have at least one person to confide it.

* * *

><p>Casey hadn't eaten a real meal for two days and having this warm food now was making her stomach ache. She didn't slow down, though. She didn't know the next time she would be able to have food as good as this and she wanted to fill up. Loki seemed to be watching her curiously, but she didn't really care at the moment. As unsightly and unladylike as her gorging must have looked, she was starving and no Asgardian was going to make her stop eating this heavenly food.<p>

"I'm curious, is there anything that, when consumed, could release your alter ego?" The Asgardian in question asked.

"Um…" She considered it while chewing her last mouthful of food, "I don't think so. It's never happened before, but I suppose it's possible." She stuffed the last of her shawarma in her mouth and wiped her hands off on a napkin. She'd never thought about it before. Being allergic to nothing, Casey hadn't ever really stopped to think about what kinds of things she put in her mouth. If it was food she ate it. At least, now she did. Back when she lived with her parents she was a very picky eater and always worried about eating too many carbs and what kinds of diets worked best. The only consideration that went into her current meals was if it was edible or not.

"I only ask because I put something in your food to see how you would react."

Casey stopped chewing and spit the shawarma back into the basket. She knew it looked revolting, but she didn't care. Glaring at Loki, she put water in her mouth and swished it around, spitting it into the basket as well. "What did you put in my food, Loki?" She hissed quietly, leaning closer to him.

"Oh, nothing spectacular. Just a little poison that should stimulate enough fear for you to lose control." He snickered.

"No, no, no, no! You didn't!"

"I did. It should be taking effect any moment now."

"Do you know what will happen? She will hurt people! What if they hear about it and come and get me? I can't be locked up again! No!" Her voice started rising. She could feel the panic growing inside of her and something clawing to get out. The fear was beginning to get to her, "Deep breaths, deep breaths!" She cautioned herself, standing up and heading toward the door marked "restroom". Behind her she heard Loki rise and follow her. That was the least of her worries at the moment. She needed to calm down and get away from people. Throwing open the bathroom door, Casey headed to a window and opened it.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked from behind her.

"I've got to get out of here. I need to find a place with no people," This was bad, very bad. She should have known the Asgardian only wanted to take advantage of her other self's power. He was as terrible as this situation, "If you value your life you'll get out of here, Loki. If she remembers anything you did then she'll come after you first."

"I'd like to see how this plays out, but thank you for your concern."

"I just don't want your blood on my hands." She climbed through the window and into an alley. She ran down the alley, feeling the panic grow in her stomach. Fear spread through her and began to take control. Terrified, Casey found a fire escape and climbed up the ladder as quickly as she could. When she was on the roof of the building she used any and all power she had to push the metal ladder out of place. Once it was out she shoved it down and it landed with a loud clatter. Now she was alone on the roof with no one around who could get hurt.

"Keep it together," Casey ordered herself. Sitting cross legged in the middle of the roof, she held her head in her hands and breathed in and out deeply. It didn't seemed to be working, "Come on! It's merely fear. It is merely fear! It cannot control me!" She was shouting now and the horrible feeling in her stomach was growing worse.

"Fear is a valuable weapon, Casey. If you use it properly, it can control anyone - even you," Loki crouched beside her, now dressed in intricate gold and green armor, "And there was never really any poison, but the simple idea that there was caused so much fear! So much hatred! It is glorious what fear can do."

It sounded like a whisper to Casey as a sort of laughter filled her head. The image of a needle being stuck into her arm came to mind, followed by the sound of her own blood curdling shriek. Then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had to re-write this chapter a few times to get it right. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

Loki was a little surprised at the scream Casey emitted, but simply crouched there and waited for something spectacular to happen. The alter ego didn't look any different, except her eyes. Casey had green-blue eyes, but this new person had bright golden irises. Those shining eyes were fixed on Loki's blue ones with a look of curiosity.

"Welcome," He grinned, rising from his crouched position, "Do you happen to know who I am?"

The girl blinked and shook her head. She obviously didn't seem to care either, because she stood up and shoved past him to the edge of the roof. Slightly surprised by this course of action, Loki followed to see what she was up to. Casey's body looked out over the city with a smile on her face. Not so much as a smile as a sinister smirk, but still a look of joy.

"Free…" She breathed.

Wondering if he had just released some sort of wild neanderthal, Loki grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face him. Her once joyful face contorted to a look of disgust.

"I am Loki Laufeyson, a name you would take care to remember, girl. What do I call you?" He inquired.

"Loki, after the norse god?"

He rolled his eyes. Why couldn't anyone ever just answer his questions without asking more? He nodded. "Not after him, I am him."

The girl snorted doubtfully and turned to look back at the city - ignoring him once more. She scanned the streets below and after a moment she turned around and walked to the middle of the roof. She picked up the previously abandoned backpack and rifled through it. Satisfied with what she saw, the girl closed the pack and slung it onto her back. She strolled over to Loki and looked him in the eye carefully.

"Why are you here?"

"I set you free."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I have my own reasons." He smirked.

She smirked right back. "Poor you," Before Loki could even contemplate what was happening she was holding him over the ledge of the roof, "Tell me who you really are and exactly why you would release me."

"I told you," Loki said calmly, "I am Loki of Asgard, son of Laufey."

The girl laughed, spraying spittle on his face. "That is a lie. Loki, Thor, Odin, Eir, Borr, Elli, Sif, Kvasir, Frigga - all myths. Tell me who you really are."

"You are wearing out my patience, Midgardian," Loki growled, moving quickly and reversing their positions. He now held her over the ledge, "I am who I claim but I've yet to learn your name."

She wiggled for a moment, trying to break free and then met his stare with her piercing golden eyes. "To the government I'm known as Elrod 2, but I've always liked the name Acacia."

"Well then, Acacia, you will learn not to challenge me or you will face distasteful consequences, understood?" When the girl was silent he yanked her hair, "Understood?"

"It's crystal clear, Lucky."

"Loki."

"That's what I said, Lucky."

Loki rolled his eyes and pulled her back onto solid ground, but did not release his grip on her shoulder. "Will you cooperate with me?"

"No."

"Why not? I am the one who set you free."

"That is why I'm calling you 'Lucky'. You're lucky to be alive. That is your payment for letting me go. I won't kill you." She stated simply.

"And how would _you _kill me?"

"You must weigh a good two hundred pounds in the armor. Do you think a normal human girl could lift you over the edge like that?" Acacia grinned, grabbing his wrist and wrenching it from her shoulder. His wrist was suddenly filled with excruciating pain as her hand clamped down, "I'm strong for my age."

"Clearly," He said through grit teeth, "I will not underestimate you again, fair?"

She let him go and started walking away from him with a smile on her face. He watched her go to the little ladder that had been connected to the side of the building. Casey had knocked the ladder down onto the platform below, but Acacia didn't seem to care. She jumped from the roof to the next platform and then slid down the next ladder, continuing until she was on the ground. Loki transported himself to her side, but once again she ignored him. Not used to being ignored, he was irritated with this girl.

"Acacia, where are you off to?"

"A place," She answered vaguely, "You won't be going there."

"How will you stop me?" He sneered, "I could easily follow you."

Without bothering to explain, Acacia swung her fist at him - only to have it pass right through. Loki stepped out of the shadows from behind her and put a dagger to her throat, pulling her close. She screamed and attempted to throw him off of her but he only pressed the dagger closer.

"Let me go!" Acacia roared, trying to grab his hand away from her throat, "Now!"

"No!" He yelled in her ear. Once she had fallen silent Loki spoke again, "I have released you for one purpose - to do as I bid. Your strength and speed could be most useful, but we will never know for sure if I am forced to kill you."

"How did you find out about me?" The girl seethed.

"It is of no concern to you," Loki said gruffly.

"I'm not going to do anything for you!" She shouted, stomping on his foot.

Loki flinched, but did not lose his hold. He pressed the dagger further into her neck and she stopped wriggling. "Then you will die." He said it calmly, feeling no guilt. The girl was silent, probably contemplating her situation. "Will you cooperate or must I kill you?"

"I'll cooperate," She said quickly. Too quickly, "So let me go."

"Not just yet," Loki sneered, "First you will tell me your weaknesses. There are triggers that bring you out and send Casey away, so there must be triggers to do the reverse. What are they?"

She was silent again, thinking. "How do I know you won't send me away as soon as I tell you?"

"Why would I bring you out only to put you away again?"

"I don't know, but you might. Why else would you want to know?"

"So I can control you," He answered simply, "I don't want a monster that I can't control."

Acacia tensed. "I'm not a monster." She hissed, her voice filled with hatred.

Loki smiled in amusement. In truth that was all this creature was. "You _are _a monster, a beast even. No one wants you, they all want Casey, isn't that right? Haven't they been trying to get rid of you? Why would they do that if you weren't a monster?"

She was rigid. "I am _not_ a monster!"

"Think on it, no one ever wants you out, they only want Casey. Why do you think she tries so hard to keep you in? She doesn't want you, the government doesn't want you, no one does. You are a terrible monster that they only want to destroy."

Acacia elbowed him in the gut and ducked. She grabbed his dagger from his hand and spun around, pointing the blade at him. "_I am not a monster_!" Her shout echoed off the alley walls and her arm was positively trembling with rage. The knife shaking in her hand, Acacia stepped closer and looked him in the eye, "I'm not a monster." She whispered it this time, sounding as if she wanted to convince herself.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you?"

Her face drained of emotion and her arm stopped shaking. Her golden eyes pierced through him and he felt again as if he might have made a mistake releasing her. "What I _am_ is dangerous." Dropping the dagger, Acacia turned and ran down the alley, racing away at inhuman speeds.

Loki stooped and collected his dagger, glancing after the girl who had run away. He mentally took note of how she had reacted so fiercely to being deemed a "monster". He supposed that he might have reacted the same way once, but now he embraced his darker side. The trickster cast a glamour on himself and was now wearing human garb. He strolled down the street and barely acknowledged that people all around him were screaming. They were only a path that led to Acacia. The sooner he found her the better. As it turned out Casey had been right, this new girl was not someone who should be released under these circumstances. He would make right this error and bring back Casey until he decided on what to do with Acacia.


End file.
